Democrats Will Try to Smoke Out GOP on Nominations

Sen. Patrick Leahy said he believes the level of partisanship on judicial nominations is at a level never before seen.

Looking to test Republicans' resolve to block nominations, Senate Democrats are planning to hold votes on judicial and administration picks before the Presidents Day holiday.

The votes are an effort to smoke out any Republican retaliation for President Barack Obama's decision last month to make four controversial recess appointments, Senate Democratic leadership aides said.

Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said he believes the level of partisanship on judicial nominations is at a level never before seen.

"In all the years I've been here, I have never seen anything like this; holding up people that had every single Republican and every single Democrat in the committee vote for them," Leahy said off the Senate floor, adding that the chamber must act to remedy the judicial vacancy rate.

"By this date in President [George W.] Bush's first term, the Senate had confirmed 170 federal circuit and district court nominations on the way to 205 and had lowered judicial vacancies to 46," Leahy said in a speech Tuesday. "In contrast, the Senate has confirmed only 125 of President Obama's district and circuit nominees, and judicial vacancies remain over 85."

The Democrats plan to hold votes on one package of judicial and administration appointees or to have votes on separate packages, the aides said, adding that they would include nominees with bipartisan support to ferret out ideological opposition.

Democrats see the votes as a way to gauge whether Republicans are prepared to filibuster nominations following Obama's move in early January to install Richard Cordray as the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and fill three slots on the National Labor Relations Board, including one Republican position.

Republicans have said the recess appointments were not constitutional, but they have struggled to devise a unified Conference response beyond joining legal briefs challenging the legitimacy of the appointments.

A GOP aide said the votes will be a test of nothing because Republicans have made no announcement on a unified response.

"We are not trying to send a message with this vote," the aide said. "Any nominee will be confirmed, or not, on their merits.

"Judges have nothing to do with jobs," the aide said, noting the Democrats should be looking for consensus on ways to improve the economy and put people back to work.

The aide also said the issue does not resonate beyond the Beltway with Americans who are focused on the economy.

"This has nothing to do with jobs outside the Beltway, and everything to do with jobs inside the Beltway," the aide continued. "Unfortunately, that is where the Democrats' priorities lie."

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March 13, 2015

Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call

Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., right, hugs Harold Schaitberger, General President of the International Association of Fire Fighters, after the Congressman spoke at the IAFF's Legislative Conference General Session at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill, March 9, 2015. The day featured addresses by members of Congress and Vice President Joe Biden.